Tuesday, April 28, 2009

At the poetry festival I wrote about yesterday, I also listened to a reading by the poet/memoirist Honor Moore. As she described her writing process, she said:

"Don't forget those sentences you remember."

She was talking about those little miracles -- words, phrases, insights -- that come to you when you least expect them. You know they belong in that novel or article or poem you're writing... or a new novel or article or poem. Unfortunately, for me, they usually come at the most inconvenient times, such as when I'm driving, taking a shower, or sitting in a dark movie theater watching a movie I've lost interest in. And because I've reached the age where Centrum Silver is now part of my diet, chances are I'll lose that word or idea if I don't write it down immediately.

I used to carry around a small Moleskine pocket notebook and one of those collapsible/expandable telescopic pens so I could capture those (what I hoped would later prove to be) inspirations. I prefer the smaller moleskine with no binding so that it fits into the pocket and conforms comfortably to the shape of my fat thigh. (See pic.) My kids called it my "idea book." I've fallen out of the habit of carrying one with me. But Ms. Moore reminded me that all writers should have one "on their person" at all times. You never know when you might need an idea for, say, a blog post. So I've decided to resurrect the idea-book habit.

All I have to remember now is to pull over to the side of the road before writing.